Versatile Equipment, a Kent-based sales and rental specialist, and Knights Brown have completed a major supply agreement, which saw Versatile provide the full-service construction business with give TA10P heavy-duty Mecalac forward-tip site dumper units. Each dumper was fitted with green flashing seatbelt beacons and road light kits for legal highway
BE Design, a multi award winning practice operating across the UK, Europe and internationally, celebrated its five year anniversary with an exclusive event in London, attended by staff, clients, contractors and suppliers, who had the chance to find out the secrets to its success. “At BE Design we are passionate
Roydon Primary School near Diss in Norfolk will double its student capacity to 420 places after an expansion delivered by Morgan Sindall. The features included in the expansion plans include the addition of eight new classrooms, as well as a new main hall, food tech room, reception area, offices, toilets
More than £1 million will be put into a new company by Carmarthenshire Council leaders for the construction of 500 houses across the country. The funding is divided into £100k to cover set-up costs for the council-owned Cartrefi Croeso Ltd, a loan of £280k for the 2018/2019 operating costs and
Sheffield Sports Medicine has invested £100k in a brand new clinic and it will take on 20 new staff as a result of the move. Established in 2009 and headed by Dr Michael Lee, a Consultant Physiotherapist in Sports and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, the clinic has relocated to Graves Health and
A new 586-bed student accommodation scheme in Sheffield is to be delivered by ISG. The £33 million project is close to the two universities in Sheffield, fronting onto Ecclesall Road, and it is designed by developer Valeo. “We are delighted to partner with ISG to create our latest student community
International consultancy and construction company Mace Group won pitches for contracts to the value of £175 million with the help of the highly-regarded UK Training specialist Kissing With Confidence. This success is an endorsement of the specialist’s outstanding Pitchmaker programme, an intensive and immersive challenge designed to help business winners
Specialist ground remediation and soil stabilisation company Deep Soil Mixing Ltd has helped with the completion of a £6.5 million project to strengthen the hillside, improve drainage and boost flood resilience at Scout Road in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, for client Calderdale Council. Deep Soil Mixing Ltd used their controlled soil
The UK has a commendable record for protecting the environment from damage and for working constructively with engineers and contractors to mitigate the effects of necessary operations. However, this picture is complicated by the fact that there are significant differences of approach between England and Wales and Scotland. The Water
Unite the Union has gathered together representatives of both employers and employees in Scotland to press the case with the Government for the protection of title for the occupation of electrician; a move that is estimated to boost the economy by £58 million. The union supported the Electricians Working Group
Versatile Equipment, a Kent-based sales and rental specialist, and Knights Brown have completed a major supply agreement, which saw Versatile provide the full-service construction business with give TA10P heavy-duty Mecalac forward-tip site dumper units. Each dumper was fitted with green flashing seatbelt beacons and road light kits for legal highway travel. “With the Knights Brown agreement, a one-size-fits-all solution simply wouldn’t cut it. With projects spanning highly diverse sectors including energy, aerospace, defence and utilities, equipment flexibility was key,” said Richard Young, Area Sales Manager at Versatile Equipment. “Thanks to Mecalac’s extensive range, we could offer a solution for every application. What’s more, thanks to rental-tough design and heavy-duty fabrication, each model offered dependability for the future,” he added. Manufactured and liveried at the Mecalac Construction UK headquarters in Coventry, the units were delivered ahead of schedule and ready for immediate operation. “When it came to updating our fleet, three things were essential – performance, efficiency and safety. Mecalac offered the complete package and, through Versatile Equipment, delivered above and beyond our expectations,” said Scott Best, Plant Manager at Knights Brown. “Now operational nationwide, the Mecalac units are already improving job site efficiencies and setting the standard for operator safety. A few innovative technologies, such as start stop and Capture telematics make fleet management easy – low fuel costs, simple servicing,” he continued. Knights Brown is a privately owned, full service, regional construction business with specialist energy sector capability delivered nationwide and in the ROI. The company operates in the following sectors: airports, buildings, coasts, rivers & ports, defence, energy, infra & public realm, waste and water. Versatile Equipment sell, hire, support and service a comprehensive range of Caterpillar Compact Equipment, Mecalac Products (formerly Terex) and Avant Loaders. A core aspect of Versatile Equipment’s business ethic is that the client gets the best – the best advice, the best service and the best machine for the job whether it is a CAT compact, a Mecalac Site Dumper or an Avant Loader.
BE Design, a multi award winning practice operating across the UK, Europe and internationally, celebrated its five year anniversary with an exclusive event in London, attended by staff, clients, contractors and suppliers, who had the chance to find out the secrets to its success. “At BE Design we are passionate about our industry and have developed five ingredients which have been key to our success. We focus on our people, our clients, our values, our technological infrastructure and on working hard,” said Simon Powell, director at BE Design. “It’s this simple approach that has helped us to develop a strong portfolio of work across our key sectors. Our clients tell us they value the in-house expertise we have across architectural, civil and structural disciplines. Because the BE Design family work in project and client centric teams in a single office, we can be more responsive to our clients’ needs. Our aim is always to be exceptional, exciting our clients so that they are delighted and inspired with our service,” he added. The company’s portfolio features the Rushden Lakes retail development in Northamptonshire, the Olympic Park regeneration and the Bear Grylls Adventure theme park at NEC in Birmingham. Now, the practice plans to more than double the size of its team in three years and help more clients achieve their built environment aspirations. “We’re proud to orchestrate projects on behalf of clients to help them achieve their goals. I want to thank everyone who has supported BE Design in reaching this important milestone, our people, our suppliers and our clients,” said Stephen Oakden, director at BE Design. “Our transparent approach harnesses trust with clients and, as a result, we are now working with the same clients on new projects. It’s a very exciting time for the practice as we’re delivering more projects further afield in Germany, Spain and Italy, together with delivering more large-scale projects across the UK. We very much look forward to growing our family of experts in line with our portfolio of work,” he continued. BE Design was founded five years and by three director that combined had an experience of more than 60 years and a passion to offer truly multidisciplinary expertise and design excellence within the built environment. In that time Anna Tsartsari, Simon Powell and Stephen Oakden have grown a team of 30 architects, civil and structural engineers delivering high-quality projects across key sectors.
Roydon Primary School near Diss in Norfolk will double its student capacity to 420 places after an expansion delivered by Morgan Sindall. The features included in the expansion plans include the addition of eight new classrooms, as well as a new main hall, food tech room, reception area, offices, toilets and storage space. Teachers will also benefit from a new staffroom. Moreover, the school’s main building, which dates back to 1886, will be refurbished, together with the library. The project also includes the removal of four old mobile classrooms from the school site at the end of the works. The scheme is part of a £169 million investment by Norfolk County Council to increase the number of local school placed in Norfolk by building new and extended schools in growing communities. “We’re pleased and proud to be working with Norfolk County Council to deliver this major expansion, which will double capacity and enhance the facilities on offer at Roydon Primary School – future-proofing this fantastic school’s offering for generations to come,” said Saul Humphrey, managing director of Morgan Sindall’s East region. “We’re looking forward to providing an outstanding learning and teaching environment that will help to meet growing demand for more school places in Roydon and Diss and the wider community. This will be one of six school expansions or new builds carried out by Morgan Sindall in Norfolk under the current framework. Together, these projects have created hundreds of new modern school places for local children in the county,” he added. Work on the expansion is expected to be completed in 2019. Morgan Sindall is the construction and infrastructure division of Morgan Sindall Group plc, a leading UK construction and regeneration group. The company delivers public and private sector projects and frameworks from £50,000 to more than £1 billion, covering a comprehensive range of market sectors and specialist services.
More than £1 million will be put into a new company by Carmarthenshire Council leaders for the construction of 500 houses across the country. The funding is divided into £100k to cover set-up costs for the council-owned Cartrefi Croeso Ltd, a loan of £280k for the 2018/2019 operating costs and £750k that will fund detailed appraisals of eight sites, the development of a procurement strategy and detailed design briefs. The proposed houses would be a mix of one, two, three and four bedroom properties, including bungalows. They would be sold or rented out and at least 74 out of the 500 would be classed as affordable. Six sites are currently being assessed for their viability: Carmarthen West, Cross Hands, Burry Port, Llansteffan, Gwynfryn South and Nant y Dderwen. “There is a business plan in place that will be monitored as the business runs on,” said Cllr David Jenkins. “I have got no worries at all making sure that the council’s interests are properly maintained with the running of the contract.” The council is the sole shareholder of Cartrefi Croeso, which will have five directors – two council officers, one councillor and two external appointments. The last two are to be chosen by council chief executive Mark James after consultation with council leader Emlyn Dole. The new company is expected to help deliver the council’s affordable housing commitment, provide apprenticeships, boost economic growth and deliver a return. For the construction of the houses however, more loans will be needed. A report setting out the company’s plans for 2018 – 2023 suggests that house sales were lower in Carmarthenshire before the 2007/2008 recession: “The country has seen a reduction in the number of active construction firms involved in new house building.” “Some firms have ceased trading, whilst others have re-structured to concentrate on non-housing construction, or on repairs and maintenance. Larger national firms have retreated from the county,” the report said.
Sheffield Sports Medicine has invested £100k in a brand new clinic and it will take on 20 new staff as a result of the move. Established in 2009 and headed by Dr Michael Lee, a Consultant Physiotherapist in Sports and Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, the clinic has relocated to Graves Health and Sports Centre in the Norton area of the city. Sheffield Sports Medicine specialises in Sports Medicine, Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation, Podiatry, Sports Psychology, Sports Massage and Sports Science. Its new clinic was officially opened by Kate Allatt, who was rehabilitated by Dr Lee after she survived a huge brain stem stroke and subsequent locked-in syndrome in 2010. “It was an honour to have Kate come ‘home’ and officially open our new clinic. There’s something extremely poignant about Kate returning to open our new premises,” said Dr Lee. “This new clinic will help us take a giant leap forward into a new era, and further enhance the award-winning service which we offer to clients. It’s a significant investment for a business of our size but a necessary one, too. This is a fantastic opportunity to display and develop our forward-thinking mentality to execute life-changing treatments to all of the patients that we meet. We’re so excited about what the future holds,” he added. Kate suffered a massive brain stem stroke in February 2010 and was told by doctors that she would never walk, talk or even swallow again. However, she became the first person in history to make full recovery from locked-in syndrome and credits Dr Lee for her recovery and rehabilitation. “When I got the call to ask if I wanted to come and open Sheffield Sports Medicine’s new clinic it was a no-brainer. Mike (Lee) gave me a new lease of life,” said Kate. “The mindset I had after the pure chance meeting with Mike – an incredible meeting – I now invoke and pass on around the world. I couldn’t have wished for a better place to spend my birthday – Mike helped create the ‘new me’. Sheffield Sports Medicine is going to go from strength to strength.”
A new 586-bed student accommodation scheme in Sheffield is to be delivered by ISG. The £33 million project is close to the two universities in Sheffield, fronting onto Ecclesall Road, and it is designed by developer Valeo. “We are delighted to partner with ISG to create our latest student community building in Sheffield. Our staff is excited about bringing Valeo’s new brand of student experience to the thriving city of Sheffield,” said Peter Haspel, Managing Director of Valeo Management. The 14-storey building will include high-specification and spacious communal facilities, as well as a central club lounge with extensive balcony on the ninth floor overlooking the city, along with a lounge and study space, a café, private dining, cinema and gym. Accommodation is configured around four, five and six bed clusters, as well as a number of studio apartments – all with en-suite facilities. Each bedroom will also benefit from advanced technologies, such as super-fast Wi-Fi available in all rooms. The demolition of an existing garage structure on the site has already been concluded by ISG and the firm is now set to begin building the concrete frame building, featuring traditional masonry with brick feature panels to its façade. In addition, the contractor will also create car parking spaces for seven retail units, which will occupy the ground floor of the new building. “The global popularity of our higher education institutions sees demand at record levels for places and high-quality student accommodation at our top universities. Purpose-built student residential facilities play a hugely important role in the overall housing mix within our cities, and this major project signifies that Valeo has ambitious development plans across the UK,” said Tim Harvey, Regional Director for ISG. The scheme is expected to approach completion in summer 2019.
International consultancy and construction company Mace Group won pitches for contracts to the value of £175 million with the help of the highly-regarded UK Training specialist Kissing With Confidence. This success is an endorsement of the specialist’s outstanding Pitchmaker programme, an intensive and immersive challenge designed to help business winners make the right emotional connection with the toughest of audiences. Mace Group’s business wins is the latest accomplishment in a period of rapid expansion for Kissing With Confidence, which has built a client portfolio that includes major banks, household name companies, Big Four firms and government departments. “Quantifying effect is a classic issue in training and the fact that Mace Group can identify £175 million of business which it has gained through our programmes is a major accolade,” said Russell Wardrop, co-founder and chief executive of Kissing With Confidence. “Nobody can guarantee that a client will win every pitch but Kissing With Confidence’s Pitchmaker programme has helped to gain business amounting to billions of pounds over the years.” Mace Group is currently a £1.97 billion company, operating in 21 sectors, such as higher education, from five global hubs. It has a concentrated focus on championing its people, whether as individuals or in teams. “There is no question we would not be where we are today as a business without the work Kissing With Confidence has done on our pitches. The results speak volumes,” said Terry Spraggett, business unit director at Mace Group. “There is a process, but it’s more than that. By the end of the session there is clarity, confidence and creativity.” “The hardest thing in the biggest pitches is deciding how robust to be, agreeing the line, then holding that line consistently from beginning to end. Kissing With Confidence facilitates that effortlessly, dealing assertively with the biggest of egos,” Terry added. “Then there is the skill in putting it all together, with an arm round the shoulder for some and a kick up the backside for others. Kissing With Confidence reaches out to everyone and makes them believe, especially those tasked with opening and closing.” Kissing With Confidence employs 12 people and it specialises in inspiring future leaders and developing effective and committed teams. It recently has embarked on a major sales growth campaign with the aim of taking turnover to £1.5 million.
Specialist ground remediation and soil stabilisation company Deep Soil Mixing Ltd has helped with the completion of a £6.5 million project to strengthen the hillside, improve drainage and boost flood resilience at Scout Road in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, for client Calderdale Council. Deep Soil Mixing Ltd used their controlled soil mixing technique to transform the challenging site, using Deep Soil Mixing Ltd’s Allu bucket on a 20-tonne excavator. They stabilised the soil and locked in the asbestos fibres contained in the ground, which proved to be an economical and practical solution. “Soil Mixing has proved to be an ideal solution for this slope stabilisation project, but it can also be used in a wide variety of other applications. In addition to the environmental advantage, stabilisation of soft soils by adding binders to reduce settlements and/or improve the stability of the land can be both a quick and cost-effective solution compared to some traditional methods including piling,” said Colin Critchlow, director at Deep Soil Mixing Ltd. The company also installed a King Post Wall at the bottom of the affected area to create an anchor point for the stability of the slope. This was to ensure that any slips during the soil stabilisation works on the upper slope would be contained and would not affect the surrounding buildings and services. It also created a stable working platform from which the mixing operation could commence. In order to work with and dispose of asbestos to commence work on thee 3,500 m2 site, the workforce was equipped with full face masks and disposable clothes, as well as decontamination when exiting the working area. The project proved to be challenging from both a technical and health and safety perspective. “The completion of work at Scout Road is a key milestone in Calderdale’s recovery from the floods. Along with borough-wide flood alleviation schemes and a range of natural flood management projects, it’s a powerful example of our determination to build resilience against extreme weather events. It has been carried out to the highest possible standard and many of the techniques used have shown real innovation, leading to improved protection for over 80 nearby homes and around 30 non-residential properties,” concluded Cllr Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic strategy.
The UK has a commendable record for protecting the environment from damage and for working constructively with engineers and contractors to mitigate the effects of necessary operations. However, this picture is complicated by the fact that there are significant differences of approach between England and Wales and Scotland. The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (as amended) look after working on or near water in Scotland, while on the rest of the UK mainland, the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 pertain. Moreover, in England and Wales, for engineering purposes, works on or near a main river will be completed under an exemption, a standard rule permit, or bespoke permit. However, any engineering works that has the potential to obstruct flow in an ordinary water course requires consent from a flood defence consenting authority. An ordinary water course is defined as every river, stream, ditch, drain, sluice, sewer (other than a public sewer) and passage through which water flows and which does not form part of a main river. In Scotland, work on any surface water on a 1:50,000 scale map requires either registration, a simple licence or a complex licence. If the water is not on the scale map, then contractors don’t need to contact the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), but they have to follow the General Binding Rules. Regarding pollution, Scotland and the Controlled Activities Regulations refers to a pollution control regime where activities are controlled by General Binding Rules, Registrations, Simple Licences and Complex Licences. Meanwhile, in England and Wales the Environmental Permitting Regulations are again relevant, but your activity may be authorised by a Regulatory Position Statement, an Exemption, a Standard Rules Permit or a Bespoke Permit. Furthermore, the protected species are looked after by the Wildlife and Countryside Act throughout the whole of the UK. However, through various acts, it is implemented differently. A breach of the regulations can have ramifications for companies far beyond the penalties imposed by the regulatory agencies. No working contractor can know the ins and outs of all compliance requirements and that is why it is imperative to seek professional advice at the earliest stage in any proposed project, large or small.
Unite the Union has gathered together representatives of both employers and employees in Scotland to press the case with the Government for the protection of title for the occupation of electrician; a move that is estimated to boost the economy by £58 million. The union supported the Electricians Working Group which was convened at Holyrood following a concerted awareness-raising push by electrical employers’ association SELECT, the Scottish Joint Industry Board and the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust. “With this whole-hearted support from our industry partners Unite the Union, there is now a discernible groundswell of opinion in favour of regulation and in particular protection of title for electricians,” said Fiona Harper, the Secretary of the SJIB. The Government is asked to recognise the skills, knowledge, training, experience and qualifications of electrician and their vital role in the functioning of a modern society. The supporters are also asking for the Government to take into consideration the risk to public safety of unqualified or underqualified people being able to pass themselves off as electrician, especially when carrying out work for vulnerable householders. “Our members have expressed their frustration that people in such a safety-critical occupation are able to use the title of electrician when they have not met the established national and industry standards,” said Pat Rafferty, the Unite Scottish Secretary. SELECT proves in a report from 4-Consulting on the economic impact of regulating electricians in Scotland that protecting lives and property in this manner could save the country around £58 million a year. It pointed out that 10 people were killed and more than 600 injured in electrical fault-related incidents in 2016 alone. “We do not want to leave people behind if they want to operate as competent and safe electricians and we have taken steps to ensure that there are a variety of ‘routes to qualification’ to make the profession as inclusive as possible,” said Newell McGuiness, SELECT Managing Director. SELECT’s 1250 member companies account for around 90% of all electrical installation work carried out in Scotland. They have a collective turnover of around £1 billion and provide employment for 15,000 people.